The factory setting is probably right in the middle of the range. If I remember HF said to set it as soft as it would go, leaving only a couple threads above the lock nut. Normally you set the preload by setting your SAG. Tons of sag adjusting videos come up on a google search. HF's soft setting is just what he found worked best for his weight and riding style.......... that said, I run mine soft like HF rather than setting the sag. I weigh 180 with no gear.

You can loosen the top lock nut and move the adjustment nut with a long flat tip punch, and a hammer without taking the shock off the bike. They make the proper wrench to do the same thing .............. on the bike too I think........... I used a punch.

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Any idea how much sag you have with that setting? Seems like it would be more than the normally recommended 25 or 35%

Any idea how much sag you have with that setting? Seems like it would be more than the normally recommended 25 or 35%

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You are probably right that running the pre-load that soft could give you a greater amount of sag than recommended with a 180 lb rider, and now that I think about High Five's settings.... he suggested, because the stock spring is so stiff, to set the Pre-load all the way soft for a couple thousand miles until it is broken in, then tighten it up some after that.

When I first got the bike I set my sag by measuring. It seemed harsh, and the rear wheel hopped around alot. When I read HF's settings I thought I'd give it a try. I set the spring soft, jacked the rebound clicker to the max, and set the compression to what ever he suggested (I forget what that was, but I have it written down somewhere) The bike felt more planted, and wasn't as harsh on the rear. The little extra sag helped with my shorter legs too. I realize if I rode it like an MX bike the extra sag would cause other problems......... but I don't. I did tighten the pre-load a little, about half way thru the summer, but I just looked, and there are maybe 3 threads showing above the lock nut.
In the perfect world I'd cough up the $750 to get the suspension valved and re-sprung to make it perfect for me, but it's been working for me and my slow.... old..... style of riding. I remember early in this thread several people riding with this setup, and liking it.

I also set the fork clickers way soft on both rebound and compression per HF. They still felt harsh to me, and I almost never used more than half of their travel (I could look at the dust line on the forks when I would stop for a break) I lowered the fork oil by 3/4 of an inch in both legs and it made them much more comfortable for me.

I'm not a total wuss and, and have ridden some plenty rough terrain in Colorado with this setup. I'm confident, and comfortable when I ride with it the way it is.

I am curious now............ and will measure the sag the way it is and report back.

First check that it is in the plastic piece correctly. Mine was pointing really high, it was because the top mount of the headlight is just a piece of plastic clipping into the headlight shroud. It got pushed back at the top and was pointing up. They are made to pop out of that mount to hopefully not break in an impact.

Remove the screws listed here as number 19. Then check that part 14 is firmly seated into the back of the headlight cowling. Part #15 is the headlight adjustment screws.

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My headlight was also pointing at the sky... And randomly flopping up and down. Turns out I was missing Part #14. Not sure if the previous owner removed it or lost it or what the deal was. But a couple of bucks at the dealer and 5 minutes of my time and it was all better.

You are probably right that running the pre-load that soft could give you a greater amount of sag than recommended with a 180 lb rider, and now that I think about High Five's settings.... .

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High Five has been mentioned a few times. I just recently got my 09 wr and the previous owner was much bigger (I am 150lbs) though I don't think it is set up well for him either so I'd like to set the suspension up better for me. Was HF's settings for someone near my weight and where are his settings at? Buried in this thread? At some point later I'll work on tuning it more for me but if there is some close settings somewhere that would be a good start for me.

I fought the suspension when I first got my WRR. Went to a softer shock spring & softer fork springs. I weigh about 180 plus gear. It made the bike horrendous:eek1:eek1 Almost unridable, It handled so bad I was going to sell it. Decided to give it another try, thank God & still have & love it. I ended up with the stock shock spring, preload backed off to where when you look at the adjusters at the top of the shock you can maybe see 2 threads above the collars. I also backed off the rebound adjuster all the way & turned the compression damper out all the way, turn it counter clockwise. The forks, stock springs 15 oz Synthetic ATF each leg, rebound off & compression at the bottom 3 clicks in clockwise from all the way out. Everyone's riding style & ability & prefered terrain is different, so just some things to try. While I know it could be better if I spend the bucks it works well as is in soft sand, rocky trails & fire roads. Very stabile.

Does anyone have any tips for getting the nuts off the bottom of the handlebar clamps? I'm swapping the stock set for an oversize set and it seems a little tricky.

I saw in a video that basher posted about some tips for the right side but I'm having issues with the easier left side. It is a really tight fit.

It seems like it would be a lot easier if I took off the triple clamp and then took off each handlebar clamp. This way when I put the new ones on I could properly torque the nuts.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't do this? To remove the triple clamp I just remove the pinch bolts and then the steering stem nut?

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That's how I did mine when I had to replace the ignition. It really is not that hard. I hung my bars from the overhead, took off the headlight shroud and then all the stuff hanging on the tree. Came right off.

Now I did mine like that because of the ignition and never checked if it could be done another way. Maybe a wobble socket would work.??

High Five has been mentioned a few times. I just recently got my 09 wr and the previous owner was much bigger (I am 150lbs) though I don't think it is set up well for him either so I'd like to set the suspension up better for me. Was HF's settings for someone near my weight and where are his settings at? Buried in this thread? At some point later I'll work on tuning it more for me but if there is some close settings somewhere that would be a good start for me.

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As I remember........... the consensus was that the bike is sprung stiff for the average rider and the rear shock didn't have near enough rebound damping........ even when maxed out. For a light rider like yourself, the lack of rebound damping, and stiff spring makes the problem even worse. The rear wheel hops up in the air when it bounces of rocks, ledges, and roots......... ect. The settings were to try and keep the rear wheel on the ground with the stock suspension. In other words....... the best you can get with what you got. The right spring for your weight and a re-valved rear shock with more rebound damping is what you "Need" but, if that isn't in the cards right away it's a good compromise especially for someone your weight.

I'm trying to decide what sort of rear rack to put on my WRR. While the billet racks look nice, I'm concerned about the small mounting area. I really like the mounting approach of the TCI Borrego, seems much more distributed/robust. At some point, in addition to the rear rack, I think I'm going to add a Wolfman saddlebag setup with racks. I have several questions for folks who have used any of these.

1) Anyone use a billet rack and had it break the mount point?
2) Anyone use a TCI Borrego AND the wolfman racks?

My plan is to get the Borrego with a hard case bracket and use a small pelican box for around town. Then for longer trips ditch the top case and use a wolfman saddlebag setup along with a dry bag across the top.

Another option would be a Giant loop setup instead of the wolfman, which eliminates any rack conflict, I think.

I'm trying to decide what sort of rear rack to put on my WRR. While the billet racks look nice, I'm concerned about the small mounting area. I really like the mounting approach of the TCI Borrego, seems much more distributed/robust. At some point, in addition to the rear rack, I think I'm going to add a Wolfman saddlebag setup with racks. I have several questions for folks who have used any of these.

1) Anyone use a billet rack and had it break the mount point?
2) Anyone use a TCI Borrego AND the wolfman racks?

My plan is to get the Borrego with a hard case bracket and use a small pelican box for around town. Then for longer trips ditch the top case and use a wolfman saddlebag setup along with a dry bag across the top.

Another option would be a Giant loop setup instead of the wolfman, which eliminates any rack conflict, I think.

While the billet racks look nice, I'm concerned about the small mounting area.

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The billet racks are nice. While it's more work, don't rule out making your own mounting for it. I used AL stock and bent it to use some mounting points on the underside of the tail. Then mounted he rack to the AL bar. It's strong enough you can lift the rear of the bike w/ it; it's also a good point to attach straps if you get the bike buried and have to drag it out.

I'm trying to decide what sort of rear rack to put on my WRR. While the billet racks look nice, I'm concerned about the small mounting area. I really like the mounting approach of the TCI Borrego, seems much more distributed/robust. At some point, in addition to the rear rack, I think I'm going to add a Wolfman saddlebag setup with racks. I have several questions for folks who have used any of these.

1) Anyone use a billet rack and had it break the mount point?
2) Anyone use a TCI Borrego AND the wolfman racks?

My plan is to get the Borrego with a hard case bracket and use a small pelican box for around town. Then for longer trips ditch the top case and use a wolfman saddlebag setup along with a dry bag across the top.

Another option would be a Giant loop setup instead of the wolfman, which eliminates any rack conflict, I think.

That cover comes off real easy. I took mine off when my site glass was pushed in. Heres what it looks like with the cover off. I reused the gasket and havent had any oil leaks. I wounder if somthing came loose inside the motor and got wedge between the gear and the case?

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Update:

I opened up the side case...not good.

Looks like the nut on the counterbalancer backed off and went for a ride, until it got wedged in the gears on the waterpump.

I've got a replacement clutch case cover on the way (complete with waterpump gear), so I think it shouldn't be too difficult to repair. Hopefully.

For the cheapie guys out there I used a piece of 3/4 " plywood to replace the tin lid on the Yamaha rear rack.
Nice thing is you can cut them to any shape to experiment. My latest one is cut to fit the Wolfman tail bag.
I have a plywood box for my 68 cc chainsaw that I just screw to the plywood plate and it holds.
I'm going to try a trip with a few overnights so I'll make a bigger one to hold the hammock, bag, and other bulky gear.
In this pic I have my FatMax saw tucked under the bag and the anti-slip stuff contact glued onto it.

I made my own as well from a scrap piece of .25" aluminum. Picture is before painting. After seeing it my wife said I should have just bought one. Guess she wasn't impressed with my machining skills. I made some aluminum spacers to fit it above the fender of the type that are supplied with the purchased aluminum racks.

FWIW in case it helps someone, I posted a question several pages ago asking about the mounting hole pattern spacing. The front-back spacing is 70mm and the side-side spacing is 50mm.

As I remember........... the consensus was that the bike is sprung stiff for the average rider and the rear shock didn't have near enough rebound damping........ even when maxed out. For a light rider like yourself, the lack of rebound damping, and stiff spring makes the problem even worse. The rear wheel hops up in the air when it bounces of rocks, ledges, and roots......... ect. The settings were to try and keep the rear wheel on the ground with the stock suspension. In other words....... the best you can get with what you got. The right spring for your weight and a re-valved rear shock with more rebound damping is what you "Need" but, if that isn't in the cards right away it's a good compromise especially for someone your weight.

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Agree with almost all your advise with the exception of more rebound damping. Once I backed off the spring tension & increased the sag the rebound damping seems more than adequate, no more kicking me forward over the front wheel. Too much rebound damping will also keep the rear wheel off the ground & not return quick enough to follow the terrain.